Youth Business Training Initiative
Unemployment in Kibera is not an abstract headline; it is a young man counting coins for one more chapati, a young woman choosing between sanitary pads and bus fare. When options narrow, survival takes shapes nobody lists on a brochure.
ETCO joined the African Initiative for Rural Development to host the first day of a two-day business training — a small room, a big stack of honesty. We talked CVs, confidence, customer service, and how to spot opportunity without selling your conscience.
Recognizing the pressure young people face, we built the sessions around employability: what employers actually watch for in the first five minutes, how to follow up after an interview, how to keep learning when Wi-Fi is a luxury. The goal is not a slogan on a wall — it is a young person leaving with a folder, a plan, and a number to call.
Why two days matter
One afternoon cannot undo years of closed doors. But two structured days can reorder what feels possible — especially when facilitators return for questions that only surface after sleep.
Outside, a hawker pushed a cart past the lane’s bend; inside, someone asked how to save a CV on a phone without losing it to a bad SD card. We wrote the steps on the board in large letters — the small, stubborn details employers never see until you miss them. If you want to fund the next cohort’s materials or a mentorship lunch, we will put your support where participants can touch it: paper, transport, and time.
Project Site Visit by Rotary Club of IPSWICH (USA) and Kikuyu (Kenya)
It was a great and engaging day of partnership and learning as we hosted the International Rotary Club of IPSWICH team, led by Environmental Lawyer Chris and his wife, Jane, Former President of Rotary Club of Kikuyu Hon. George Ngotho and Rotarian Yumbya for a visit to our project implementation sites. The visit provided an opportunity to review the project areas on the ground, discuss implementation priorities, and strengthen our shared commitment to sustainable environmental and community development. We also had the opportunity to visit the Nairobi Rivers Commission (NRC), where we were hosted by Commissioner Dr. Loice Kipkorir, a member of the Ngong River Committee. We explored opportunities to strengthen collaboration and align our work with the Nairobi Rivers Commission's Restoration Framework.
Community Capacity Building Training
We are currently participating in the ongoing PROVE (Public Space Governance Research, Observation, Validation and Experimentation) Pilot Programme, a four-month initiative by Public Space Networks (PSN) bringing together 11 community groups from Kamukunji and Korogocho. The programme focuses on strengthening community organizations’ capacity to manage, protect and improve public spaces as well as restoring rivers and it's ecosystems. The ongoing capacity-building training is helping CBOs and community organizations better understand the connection between public spaces, river restoration and ecosystem conservation, while exploring practical approaches and stronger collaboration among communities, government agencies, development partners and other stakeholders.
High Level NRC & Development Partners Meeting
Representing the Ngong River Regeneration Network, I'm having the privilege of attending a high-level breakfast meeting convened by the Nairobi Rivers Commission (NRC) in collaboration with the Kenya Permanent Mission to UN-Habitat. The meeting has brought together Development Partners, Government Agencies, Private Sector representatives, and Community representatives to deliberate on the restoration and sustainable management of Nairobi’s rivers.